Deer Collision Season in Pennsylvania
1 in 64 odds of an animal collision claim, 4th of 51 in State Farm’s 2025-2026 ranking. Pennsylvania’s wooded ridges and farm valleys hold a large deer herd, and State Farm estimates more industry animal collision claims there than in any other state.
Odds of hitting a deer in Pennsylvania
1 in 64, from State Farm’s analysis of industry animal collision claims between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. That ranks Pennsylvania 4th of 51 (the 50 states and the District of Columbia), in the high likelihood category, against a national figure of 1 in 145. That is a lower likelihood than 1 in 62 in the 2024-2025 edition.
Source: State Farm, How likely are you to have an animal collision? (2025-2026). Compiled 2026-09-21.
Fatal animal crashes in Pennsylvania by month
NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System recorded 122 fatal animal crashes in Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2024, about 12.2 a year, with 127 deaths. That is 1.1 percent of all fatal crashes in the state and 2nd among the states by count. October is the month with the most fatal animal crashes in Pennsylvania, 23 of 122 across the ten years. FARS counts crashes with any animal; the insurance claim season, October to December, is shaded.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), first harmful event Live Animal, 2015 to 2024. Compiled 2026-09-21.
Deer crashes Pennsylvania reports
State counts include crashes that injured no one, so they run far higher than FARS, and each state defines and counts them its own way.
6,4262024 in Pennsylvania: reported deer-related crashes (PennDOT crash data; Pennsylvania only requires police reports for crashes with injury, death, or a vehicle that cannot be driven away)
“The number of deer-related crashes in Pennsylvania has been on the rise since 2020, with last year’s total of 6,426 setting a five-year high, according to PennDOT data.”Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), quoted exactly.
Compiled 2026-09-21.
When the deer rut runs in Pennsylvania
The deer rut in Pennsylvania runs October 15 to December 15. Peak, as the agency describes it: mid-November.
Source: Pennsylvania Game Commission, When is the Rut in Pennsylvania?.
Sunset in Philadelphia when the clocks fall back
On November 7, 2027, clocks fall back an hour and sunset in Philadelphia moves from 5:53 PM to 4:52 PM, putting the evening drive home in dusk and darkness.
Philadelphia, 61 minutes earlier by the clock.
Clock change: Uniform Time Act, 15 U.S.C. 260a, and 49 CFR part 71. Sunset calculated for Philadelphia and checked against the U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department.
What state agencies tell drivers
“If you cannot avoid hitting a deer with your vehicle, brake firmly and stay in your lane. Avoid sudden swerving, which can result in a loss of control and a more serious crash.”Wisconsin Department of Transportation, quoted exactly.
“If a deer runs in front of you, do not swerve. Brake firmly and stay in your lane.”Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security / Tennessee Highway Patrol, quoted exactly.
“Don’t swerve to avoid hitting a deer. Swerving can cause motorists to lose control and travel off the road or into oncoming traffic.”Missouri Department of Transportation, quoted exactly.
Questions people ask about deer collisions in Pennsylvania
Fatal animal crash counts compiled 2026-09-21 from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). State Farm odds, agency counts and quotes compiled 2026-09-21 from the pages linked above, quoted exactly.